KC Luxury seeks judge’s recusal over court record dispute

Businessman Afolabi Kazeem, better known as KC Luxury, is on trial for charges related to cocaine trafficking and money laundering in Lagos. He has requested that Justice Musa Kakaki, the presiding judge, recuse himself from the case due to alleged irregularities in court records and concerns over his health. The judge denied KC Luxury's bail request last week, stating that he had not presented sufficient evidence to justify his release.

During a recent court hearing, KC Luxury's legal team, represented by Emefo Etudo, requested the judge's recusal, arguing that the court records did not reflect the October 28, 2026 ruling on his client's bail application. Etudo also claimed that the defence had been unable to obtain a copy of the ruling from the court registry, and that a reply affidavit filed by the defence had gone missing.

He criticized the Federal High Court's inadequate recording facilities, stating that accurate documentation of proceedings is crucial. Etudo accused the prosecution of lacking sufficient evidence to link the first, second, and third defendants to the alleged offenses. The prosecution's counsel, Ibrahim Abu, argued that the matter was scheduled for trial and that KC Luxury's absence had not been adequately explained.

The prosecution also opposed the request for recusal, maintaining that the court had been fair to all parties and that the refusal of a bail application did not constitute bias. KC Luxury's second defendant, Augustine Audu, SAN, and his counsel urged the court to hear and determine the recusal application before proceeding with the trial, emphasizing that the pending application had stalled proceedings and undermined the purpose of an accelerated hearing.